Cowgirls and Cows

Still sharing pictures from New Mexico.  We got to watch a cowboy shoot.  The cowgirl was the fastest shooter there.  When we took a drive out through the desert we came across lots of cattle grazing.  Its hard to believe that they can graze on this dead looking desert grass and survive.  Desert grass is highly nutritious so even though it looks dead and worthless the cattle get a lot out of it. 

We got to see lots of cows coming across Kansas and Nebraska.  We spent three long days in Kansas waiting for the snow to be done and then the roads to be ice free.  We had about an inch of snow and ice on top of our slideouts that froze in place.  Jim had to get up on the roof and scrape it off so we could put in the slides so we could leave.  We don't own a ice scraper any more so I handed him a spatula and a broom and he was able to get it off pretty quickly.   We stopped in Sioux Falls, SD for two days and got new drivers licenses and picked up our mail.  We are now in Minnesota and with more weather on the way we are heading up to the resort a day earlier than planned so we don't have to worry about driving in rain possibly snow.   I'm sure the next pictures I post will be of snow and ice up at the resort. 

Chloride, NM

We ended up spending two weeks in Elephant Butte NM while waiting for our holding tank to be replaced.  We managed to do a few little drives while we were there.  One drive we took to Chloride which is an old ghost town.  There are a few people that live there and of those who do they have a family history in the town that goes back a few generations.  This old mining town was founded on silver mining.  The museum was packed with interesting stuff.  The most impressive was a pioneer woman's things.  Everything from clothing to furniture -- she made it all by hand.  She lived out of a covered wagon for many years and then when she settled in Chloride she made everything for her cabin.  The workmanship on the clothing and the furniture was remarkable.

We finally got our new holding tank installed and hit the road.  So far we have made it to Kinsley, KS which is just northeast of Dodge City.  We need to head to Sioux Falls but the weather doesn't want to cooperate.  We hope to be in Minnesota by Wednesday or Thursday -- maybe Friday.  All we hear about is snow and ice up at the resort but we are on our way! 

Elephant Butte

We are at an RV park in Elephant Butte, NM.  We planned on spending a week but have extended our stay.  We had some routine maintenance done on the RV.  The maintenance part was done quickly but then I asked the repair guy to check under the rig for any damage that a packrat might have done.  We had a packrat while at the refuge.  He got in under the undercarriage and could have chewed on wires, etc.  Well, no damage from the rat was seen but he did discover a crack in one of our holding tanks.  Its bad enough that we need the tank replaced immediately so here we sit in New Mexico.   We figure its a mixed blessing having to sit here for a few extra days.  Its a bummer that we have to have something fixed but its good to be staying where its warm for a few more days.

We stayed here in Elephant Butte our first winter.  Elephant Butte Lake had a lot more water in it the last time we were here and they tell us the water has come way up since October.  The mighty Rio Grande -- you can see the trickle of it on the left side of the dam- isn't looking so mighty.   Its still better than seeing white stuff on the ground and ice!      

Cute and Not so Cute

We went to the Sonoran Desert Museum in Tucson.  It is worth the time and money to go because you see everything the desert has to offer.  Birds, butterflies, lizards, snakes, prairie dogs, bobcats, mountain lions, Mexican wolf and the list goes on and on.  I enjoyed all of the cactus and flowers with many of them blooming. 

Our friends had a laundry list of restaurants they wanted to hit while there and I think we hit all but one.  We ate many great meals.

The weather was perfect the whole week we were there hitting the mid 80's during the day and low 60's at night.  We are now in Elephant Butte, NM visiting friends and the weather is equally nice.   We will be here for a week enjoying the warmth a little longer. 

We will be watching the weather this week because a snow storm is supposed to hit Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, etc.  We don't travel in snow or rain for that matter so hopefully it will be melted before the weekend.